


Level Two

by beaglesinbowties (Girlblunder)



Series: It's all fun and games until somebody falls in love [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Comedy, F/F, Friendship, References to violent games, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:04:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7247710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlblunder/pseuds/beaglesinbowties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex and Kara have been living together again for a little while now, and things have become comfortable again. Well, minus the bits when Alex does something that makes Kara forget what she's doing - like breathing or looking as casually beautiful as always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Level Two

**Author's Note:**

> Only briefly looked over, so my apologies for any errors but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I kind of went a little more in depth for the game portion of this, so hopefully it's not too difficult to follow. This time Alex and Kara play a FPS!

* * *

Kara stares intently as the screen as she chews furiously on a chip, swallowing absently as she races to the bomb site. “Defuse the bomb, defuse the bomb,” she mutters.

She jerks her mouse as she turns to cover her specialist teammate as they crouch down to defuse the bomb, moving her mercenary so that it’s physically standing behind her teammate’s back - between them and any potential enemy. A flash of red to her right makes her zoom in with her scope, and she fires off a shot at the sniper’s barely-visible head.

He survives the burst of fire with what looks like 1 hp, returning fire at her. She manages to mostly dodge the shot while still maintaining cover for her teammate, getting winged rather than taking one to the head. “Woo!” she cheers as the bomb is successfully defused.

She immediately dodges to the left to heal up at the nearby medic station, glad to have a medic on the team that actually uses their healing abilities for the best of the team. She presses the button to deploy her ammo station, stocking up and smiling when a teammate thanks her.

“I’ve got such a good team right now guys,” Kara declares happily as she spares a glance at her cam. “Specialists actually defusing the bomb, medics actually healing? Best. Pub. Ever.”

Her attention turns back to the game, expecting a wave of respawns of enemy players. The timer shows only a little over a minute left, and Kara’s determined not to let the enemy team plant the bomb again.

She nibbles at the inside of her cheek as she checks her special ability, smiling when she sees that her molotov cooldown is ready. “We _so_ got this,” she says as she charges out and lets her molotov fly at the choke point the enemy team has been favoring for the entire match.

The door to the apartment opens with only twenty seconds left on the clock, and Kara automatically glances away from her monitor. She tugs her headphones half-off one of her ears.

Alex gives her a tired smile as she shuts the door behind her, her free hand coming up to sweep her short hair back away from her face. “Hey, Kara.”

“Alex,” Kara says as a huge grin splits her face. She spares a glance back to her screen when her mercenary shouts in pain, and it registers that she’s down with only a few seconds left on the clock. “Crap.”

Warm laughter sounds immediately behind her, and she straightens as Alex rests a hand on her shoulder and squeezes softly. “Bad luck,” Alex says affectionately.

“Uh huh.” Kara’s stiff as Alex leans over her shoulder to look at the screen. Alex’s hair is brushing her cheek, and Kara’s lids droop when she catches a waft of Alex’s scent. Alex has never been altogether fond of perfumes, but her body wash and lotion combined with her natural scent are distinctive - and far too attractive, Kara thinks.

“I haven’t see you play this one before.”

It takes a moment for the words to register. Kara stares at the ending animations for the game, pleased that her teammates held up the defense even in her discombobulated state. She clears her throat. “Oh, yeah. I started it a couple of days ago at the suggestion of one of my viewers. I’m really enjoying it.”

Alex straightens and yawns. “That’s good. I know you were looking for something new to play.”

“Did you sleep last night?” Kara frowns and swivels in her chair, examining the bags under Alex’s eyes with worry.

“I caught a nap,” Alex says as she looks away.

“Hey guys, I’ll be back in a minute.” Kara looks at the camera with a half smile and removes her headphones, reaching for Alex’s hand and tugging her toward the side where she knows they can’t really be seen by the cam.

Alex gives her a crooked smile and blinks slowly. “Uh oh, I know that look.”

Kara shakes her head, scrutinizing Alex’s features even closer than before. “You look like crap,” Kara says in a soft voice. In truth Alex is still as beautiful as always, but she looks miserably tired. Kara can’t stand to see her this way. “You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“It’s grad school, Kara,” Alex says with a half shrug. “I doubt any of my peers are getting much more sleep than I am.”

“Right.” Kara purses her lips and drops Alex’s hand. She walks over to her seat. “Hey, I’m taking like a ten minute break guys. I’ll be back again soon.”

 _[1:47]_ **supatroopa** : kk  
_[1:47]_ **kawaii917** : It’s okay, go take care of girlfriend-san ❤(ˆ‿ˆԅ)  
_[1:47]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ cool i’ll go make a sammich  
_[1:47]_ **SynergyGaming101** : i’m downloading that game. will your gf play it too?  
_[1:47]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ guys, she’s explained that’s NOT her girlfriend

Kara only smiles and swaps the stream from live to the graphic telling everyone she’s afk, making sure her mic is muted and her cam is off. When she turns back around and stands, Alex’s arms are crossed and one of her eyebrows are raised.

“What?” Kara rubs at her face self-consciously.

“Kara, I’m fine,” Alex insists.

“Oh. You think that had something to do with you?” Kara gestures back at her computer with her thumb but remains facing Alex. “I just thought this was a good time to grab something more substantial to eat than potato chips.”

Alex rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I’ll make you a sandwich.”

“I am perfectly capable of making my own sandwich. _In fact_ , I’ll tell you what I’m going to do: I’m making _you_ a sandwich.” Kara walks to the kitchen with her held high, though she’s unsurprised when Alex follows her.

“Oh, is that so? In that case, I’ll take a club sandwich, fully loaded.”

Kara stops from pulling things from the refrigerator to shoot Alex a deadpan look. “Really?”

“Well, if you don’t think you can do it,” Alex shrugs, a small smile tugging at her lips.

The wrapped smoked turkey is deposited on the counter, followed by lettuce, tomato, and the bacon Kara’s been doing really well at not eating.

“I can totally do it, but since this is a little more upscale than what I had planned,” she pauses as she fumbles with the loaf of bread. “So I think you should go download the game I was just playing so you can play with me.”

She focuses on pulling out the correct amount of slices of bread, glad that they’d sprung for a toaster with four slots as she begins toasting some bread.

Alex chuckles, and Kara glances up just in time to admire the way her nose scrunches up when she’s amused. “Ahh, so you had an ulterior motive. Well, alright. I’ll be right back.”

Kara’s relieved her ploy has worked, smiling to herself as she heats a pan up for the bacon.

*****

Half an hour later they’re both ensconced in front of their computers with crumb-filled plates decorating the corners of their desks. Kara grins. She’s happy they’d found a cheap desk that fit perfectly next to her own.

“No way!” Alex all but shouts from Kara’s left. “That guy is totally a cheater.”

Kara snickers as she rushes to a secondary position to provide cover so her teammate can make it to the escort vehicle for repairs. “Just stay near me and toss me a medpac when my health gets low,” Kara says in a patient voice.

Alex responds by grunting. Kara isn’t sure if that’s a positive or negative thing - until she sees Alex’s mercenary charging straight for the frontlines.

“Alex,” Kara warns right before Alex’s mercenary goes down, and Kara immediately bursts into laughter.

“It was that guy again! He cheats!”

Kara is too busy laughing and taking down a few people trying to flank to directly respond to Alex, but she laughs harder when she spots some of the viewer chat.

 _[2:32]_ **SynergyGaming101** : rofl your gf is so bad  
_[2:32]_ **jim_bob_jones** : this is hilarious  
_[2:32]_ **kawaii917** : protect girlfriend-san ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`▭´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻  
_[2:32]_ **supatroopa** : you probably should have let her play in noob rooms to learn the game frist  
_[2:33]_ **supatroopa** : *first  
_[2:33]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ ugh, your room is full. i can’t get in. also again, that’s NOT her gf.  
_[2:33]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ who’s the noob  
_[2:33]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ @Super_G’s gf  
_[2:33]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ oh. ooohhhhh niiiiice

“Hey, I told her to play in the newbie rooms first. She didn’t want to. She’s stubborn like that.” No sooner has Kara responded when Alex rushes forward again, managing to take down someone with low HP and immediately dying afterwards.

“Cheater!” Alex insists.

“Alex, he’s not a cheater. He’s just a pretty high level compared to you. You have to play smart. Don’t rush in and die,” Kara says when she’s finally gotten control of her laughter.

Kara glances to the left and sees Alex is muttering to herself as she glares at her screen.

“I’m done playing a medic,” Alex announces as she mashes a button to select another mercenary. “This one looks cool.”

“Which one did you--” Kara stops speaking as Alex finds the button for her special ability, bringing an orbital laser down on the sniper that’s killed her three times in a row.

“YES, eat that you cheater!”

“I see you’ve discovered the beauty of Kira,” Kara mumbles. “You can move her laser around. Usually it makes everyone go running.”

“Uh huh,” Alex says, the tip of her tongue poking out as she tries to obliterate the enemy team with her laser. She manages to get one more before the ability finishes and her mercenary goes down.

Kara jerks her attention back to her own screen when her mercenary grunts out in surprise - she’s being hit and was almost taken down in her distracted state. Her eyes narrow as she finds a healing station and she resolves to toss a molotov right where the enemy combat merc has been hiding. She _hates_ when they hide and shoot from between small gaps.

The takedown alert and finish bonus scrolls across her screen scarcely a second after she tosses her molotov.

“Roasted enemies are the best enemies,” Alex says, sounding far too satisfied for Kara _not_ to laugh.

“So you like the game?” Kara asks as she runs alongside the EV next to a mission specialist. They’re close to the objective.

Alex laughs maniacally, making Kara send a wide-eyed look to her cam. Kara checks the kill feed and notices that Alex successfully meleed the sniper to death.

“This katana is awesome!” Alex ducks closer to her monitor as she rushes to the next enemy combatant, katana still out.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Kara says to the cam.

The rest of the match flies by. They finish the escort but don’t manage to deliver both of the final objectives. Kara doesn’t mind; playing with Alex is incredibly fun, and every moment is still worth the loss.

 _[2:52]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ that was primo laz0r firing  
_[2:52]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ i didn’t get to play with you ;-;  
_[2:52]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ you’ve convinced me to try this game - or i should say your girlfriend has  
_[2:52]_ **supatroopa** : yeah it’s a solid game. i wonder if your gf has played fps before? she wasn’t a total noob.  
_[2:52]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ for the last time, they’re not dating!  
_[2:53]_ **kawaii917** : I wish gf-san had a cam  
_[2:53]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ dude that would be cool  
_[2:53]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ i endorse this idea

Kara rubs at her face and tries to ignore the warmth in her cheeks. She glances toward the left and sees that Alex is paying rapt attention to her own screen, headphones on as she goes through the training course to improve her aim. Kara is grateful Alex is so competitive. “Guys, I’ve told you this before. Alex isn’t my girlfriend.”

Alex chuckles next to her and Kara has a hard time focusing on anywhere but toward her left. She clears her throat, hesitating to refer Alex the way Alex has always introduced her since she was fifteen and they’d been living together a year. “She’s actually my sister.”

Discomfort lingers in her throat from pushing out the words, and she can’t help herself from adding more. She looks up at the cam. “Well technically my foster sister, but still.”

 _[2:59]_ **supatroopa** : that’s mildly disappointing  
_[2:59]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ you sure abt that?  
_[2:59]_ **kawaii917** : It’s just like my fav manga (╥︣﹏╥᷅ )  
_[2:59]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ see? I told you guys!  
_[3:00]_ **SynergyGaming101** : huh. okay.  
_[3:00]_ **supatroopa** : true kawaii, i’ve seen some anime…  
_[3:00]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ this is a weird stream. i like it.

“What are they saying?” Alex asks with a frown a moment before she’s leaning toward Kara to better see Kara’s monitor, skimming past the lines she doesn’t understand the reference to. “Oh, they want me to get a cam? I don’t know about that, especially since you say I’m looking so tired.”

“You’re beautiful,” Kara blurts out in a heartfelt voice before she can stop herself. Her cheeks immediately flush, and Kara knows she’s failing miserably at selling the sister-angle to her viewers.

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” Alex says as she slings an arm over Kara’s shoulders and initiates a hug. She turns her head and noisily kisses Kara’s cheek, making Kara blush all the harder.

“Alex,” Kara whines as she pulls away. For the nth time she wonders if one day her cheeks will be permanently stained red thanks to Alex’s machinations.

Kara is distracted from trying to cool her cheeks with her hands by an alert sound. She blinks up at the screen.

_kawaii917has donated $20.00! - YUUUUUUUURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

Kara blinks once. Twice. She stares at the cookie monster reaction gif, unable to comprehend the donation and its message.

 _[3:07]_ **kawaii917** : IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL I’M NEVER GOING TO STOP WATCHING YOUR STREAM EVER  
_[3:08]_ **(admin)allidoiswinn** _:_ @Super_G is NOT GAY  
_[3:08]_ **jim_bob_jones** _:_ ofc not Winn. it’s already established that she’s bi. smh.  
_[3:08]_ **supatroopa** : yuri is literally just girls’ love. it doesn’t necessarily mean sexytimeslove. this is totally yuri  
_[3:08]_ **C4ndy1776** _:_ i totally support all forms of yuri, js

“Whoa, you just got a donation!” Alex says.

Kara is further shocked when Alex’s hand absently settles on her thigh, fingertips resting softly against the bare skin of her knee. Her saving grace is that the desk blocks most of her lower body.

“Yep, donation,” Kara says as she bobs her head in agreement. She swears she can almost hear the fizzling of her synapses failing to fire as she struggles to think beyond the all too warm hand on her leg.

Her stomach twists and growls, and the sound is enough to give her something to focus on.

“You’re hungry already? We just had sandwiches like an hour ago.” Alex turns to look at the cam. “You know, she’s been like this since 8th grade. She can eat and eat and eat and never gain a pound.”

A strangled noise makes it way out of Kara’s throat; Alex’s hand has risen on her thigh. Kara shifts in her seat and is relieved when the hand moves back down. “Well that being said, I think I’m going to go ahead and call it for the stream. I’ve been on for like five hours already and I really need to get some real, warm food in my stomach.”

She pauses and takes a breath, feeling more settled. “Kawaii917, thank you so much for the donation. That was really super generous of you and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. You guys are all awesome. I might stream a little bit more later tonight, but don’t hold me to that.”

The round of goodbyes from chat make her smile, and she slumps back into her chair after she’s ended the stream.

“You okay?”

The words make Kara look up. She manages a small smile. “Yeah, just a little tired. I don’t know why, but streaming is just so exhausting.”

“Well, it’s different than just gaming by yourself. You have to remember there’s people watching and maybe talk more than you would if you were by yourself. You can’t really relax all the way.” Alex pauses and tilts her head. “How about I dig around the fridge and figure out what we’re eating and you go grab a shower?”

“Are you saying I stink?” Kara scrunches up her face and pokes out her tongue.

Alex only laughs softly. “No, I just think it’ll be nice and relaxing. I’m going to grab one too when you’re done.”

“You can go first. Oh, hey, maybe we can just order some takeout.” Kara’s told Alex a hundred times that she doesn’t need to cook every night she’s home, especially now that she’s so busy with grad school.

Instead of an immediate refusal, Alex looks thoughtful. “Maybe. Still, I was lying; you _do_ stink. Go shower.”

Kara scowls and stands. “I don’t stink, but I’ll go shower anyway since you’re being so mean.” She stomps over to her room to collect some clean clothes, pausing at the door way to lift her arm and sniff. “Told you so,” she mutters under her breath.

*****

Hours later finds them sprawled out in Kara’s room. Though Alex’s room is slightly bigger, Kara’s is cooler.

“I’m so full,” Kara groans out happily as she rubs her belly.

“Me too,” Alex admits, “even though you hogged all the potstickers.”

Through sheer force of will Kara manages to turn her head. “I was doing you a favor. I knew you were getting too full. You should be thanking me.”

“I would smack you, but I’m too full to move.” Alex’s head lolls to the side and there’s a smile stretching her face.

“See? I rest my case.” Kara smirks when Alex rolls her eyes.

Alex reaches back to fluff her pillow. “You want to watch Netflix or something? I brought my laptop just in case.”

Kara considers the offer for a moment, studiously ignoring the part of her mind that chimes in with _netflix and chill_. “Maybe in a bit. I kinda just wanna talk for a little while.”

“Yeah? Is everything okay?” Alex rolls onto her side to face Kara. Her brows are slightly furrowed in concern.

“With me? Yeah, things are pretty good. Work’s good, classes are good, and I love living here with you.” The last part could be embarrassing, but it’s not. Kara lived with Alex for nearly four years back in Midvale - it’s been nice to be together again. She knows Alex feels the same now that they’ve been living together for nearly two months.

“I sense a ‘but’ in there somewhere.” Alex shifts a little more, one hand tucking under her pillow and the other settling in the space between their bodies.

Kara takes a steadying breath and reaches for Alex’s hand. Almost immediately Alex twists her wrist and interlaces their fingers, easing the discomfort rising in Kara’s stomach.

“Alex, do you think it’s a good idea for your mom to help you with your thesis? I mean, you’ve got an advisor and...I couldn’t help but notice that you weren’t keeping these crazy hours until she called to talk to you about your thesis work.” Kara is watching Alex intently, so she notices the moment Alex’s breath hitches.

Alex sucks in a breath and then exhales shakily. Her lips purse after a few seconds. “She’s an expert in her field, and she’s done a lot in a relatively short career. I should be grateful for her help.”

Despite Alex’s attempts to seem confident, her voice rises until the last statement seems more like a question to Kara. “You’re not taking good care of yourself right now Alex. Remember how we started this whole gaming deal in the first place? You thought I needed a little more balance in my life. Because I love you, I’m telling you that you need a little more balance in _yours_.”

“I can’t just tell her no, Kara,” Alex says in a heavy voice. Their eyes meet, and Kara can see a lot in the corners of Alex’s downturned mouth and her too-moist eyes.

Kara is aware of it, of course. She’d lived with Alex long enough to notice the small reprimands that would follow Alex around a house that briefly held four and just wasn’t filled up the right way with only three. It wasn’t difficult to contrast the easy praise Eliza laid thickly around Kara like a protective cloak, only to see how hard it was for Alex to earn more than a hardened look and words laced with disappointment.

There had been moments, of course, when Kara had seen bits and pieces of the old Eliza around the daughter that the Danvers matriarch used to believe hung the moon. Kara often wonders where Alex found the strength to turn to Kara with a smile after a series of sharp words from Eliza, ready and waiting with open arms when the nights were too hard for Kara to face alone.

“I’ll think of something.” Kara means it; she can’t stand the way Alex pushes herself to try and achieve some impossible thing. No, Alex isn’t perfect, but Kara thinks that she comes pretty darn close.

“If you say so.”

There’s a lull in which Kara finds herself pulled just a little closer to Alex, the space between their bodies smaller as their breath mingles and tickles at the skin of their hands.

“Wanna go shopping with me next week?” Alex asks after several minutes have passed.

Kara makes a face. It’s not that she hates shopping - sometimes she really likes it. Sometimes. It generally sucks when she’s on a budget. It’s different when she _needs_ something, but she’s pretty set. She adjusts her head against her pillow. Alex isn’t overly fond of shopping either. “Did you need something in particular?”

Alex’s mouth opens and closes. “Not really. Mom just said something to me earlier that got me thinking. It’s nothing bad, but it made me want to shop a little.”

It’s enough to make Kara worry what Eliza could have said. Alex doesn’t seem exceptionally vulnerable, but she’ll have had time to recover from her mother’s passive aggression.

“I thought we could make a day of it. Maybe we’ll start off with breakfast here and then take our time at the mall. We could grab lunch at the food court and maybe hit the arcade after we’re done,” Alex continues.

Kara is close to caving. The food court contains a plethora of decent tasting food that’s cheap enough for Kara to mix and match to her heart’s delight. Alex knows her work schedule, so the weekend is still the best option. Her viewers are used to flexible hours now, so Kara doesn’t feel the need to voice a protest.

“So just you and me and nothing about school or work or anything?” Kara asks to clarify.

“That’s right.” Alex looks relaxed and happy, her hair mussed from the pillow.

Kara smiles. There’s really only one answer. “Sounds good to me.”

As Alex cheers and grabs her laptop, Kara can’t help but wonder what their lives would be like if Kara had never lost her parents and Alex had never lost her dad. She wonders if she and Alex would still be as close as they are or if they’d have drifted apart like so many of Kara’s other friends had after finishing high school.

She can’t imagine such a world.

Alex shifts a few times before turning onto her stomach, body pressed closely to Kara’s. The laptop is placed in front of them near the headboard of the bed.

Soft strands of Alex’s hair trail just so along her jaw, making Kara’s fingers itch for her art supplies in a way that hasn’t happened in over a year - since they’d last lived together, in fact.

“What?” Alex asks after setting up Netflix and turning to catch Kara staring.

Kara smiles. “Nothing. What are we watching?”

“Hm, dunno yet.” Alex turns back to her laptop screen.

No, Kara can’t imagine a world where she isn’t hopelessly in love with Alex.


End file.
